Newly sworn-in House Speaker Mike Johnson laid out what he sees as the seven core principles of not just American conservatism, but American greatness.
In an approximately 19-minute speech delivered after receiving the speaker’s gavel on Wednesday, Johnson said, “We stand at a very dangerous time. I’m stating the obvious. We all know that. The world is in turmoil. But a strong America is good for the entire world.”
“We are the beacon of freedom, and we must preserve this grand experiment in self-governance,” the Louisiana Republican continued.
“We’re only 247 years into this grand experiment, and we don’t know how long it will last, but we do know that the Founders told us to take good care of it,” Johnson said.
The speaker went on to argue the central creed of America is found in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” and that they’re endowed with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
“That is the creed that has animated our nation since its founding, that has made us the great nation that we are,” Johnson said. “We’re in a time of extraordinary crisis right now, and the world needs us to be strong. They need us to remember our creed and our admonition.”
The House leader pointed to the late President Ronald Reagan’s farewell address in January 1989, during which Reagan acknowledged that people had nicknamed him “The Great Communicator.”
“I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference — it was the content,” Reagan said.
“I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn’t spring full bloom from my brow; they came from the heart of a great nation — from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that have guided us for two centuries,” he added.
“They called it the Reagan revolution. Well, I’ll accept that, but for me it always seemed more like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense,” Reagan said.
Reagan farewell (1/11/1989):
“I won a nickname – The Great Communicator. But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference. It was the content. I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things…
seemed more like the Great Rediscovery” pic.twitter.com/a0f8xkx0Of— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) January 19, 2021
Johnson listed seven core principles that have undergirded the American experiment in liberty: individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets and human dignity.
Speaker @RepMikeJohnson outlines the seven core principles that have made us the most successful nation in the history of the world:
1. Individual Freedom
2. Limited Government
3. The Rule of Law
4. Peace Through Strength
5. Fiscal Responsibility
6. Free Markets
7. Human Dignity pic.twitter.com/l4BGFRnvNW— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 25, 2023
“Those are the foundations that made us the extraordinary nation that we are,” Johnson told his colleagues.
“And you and I today are the stewards of those principles — the things that have made us the freest, most powerful, most successful nation in the history of the world, the things that have made us truly exceptional.”
Johnson wrapped up his remarks by saying that the House is now going to get back to work.
“We want our allies around the world to know that this body of lawmakers is reporting again to our duty stations. Let the enemies of freedom around the world hear us loud and clear: The people’s house is back in business,” he said.
The speaker concluded, “I genuinely believe in my heart that the best days of America are still ahead of us.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.